Khutiya-Dipayal fast-track halted,says forest office 

Dhangadi, May 12

Division Forest Office, Kailali, has demanded compensation saying that trees along Khutiya-Dipayal fast-track were felled without permission.

The division office has written to the forest department to recover Rs 1 million from the fast-track project to compensate 39 trees that were cut down without permission.

Division Chief Amar Bulan said his office had written to the forest department not to permit the fast-track project to proceed with its work unless reparation for the trees chopped down and disappeared was paid.

According to Bulan, a dozer was used to cut and disappear 34 trees at the national forest area and five from community forest area.

“A team deployed from District Forest Office had visited the field and collected details of felled trees,” Bulan said. Work on the project was halted as the project did not have permission to cut the trees for the past one year.

Under-construction Khutiya-Dipayal fast track is a short route linking Dhangadi with Dipayal. Though one decade has passed, not even work on opening the track at some places of Kailali and Doti has been completed.

The federal government had handed over the project to the province government one year ago. Two months later, the central government, however, took the project back.